Three former ministers were ay recommended for sanction following a House investigation into the tendering of the controversy-wracked UShs200 billion national Identity Cards project to M/s Muhlbauer of Germany.

MPs want Mr Kirunda Kivejinja (Internal Affairs), former Attorney General Kiddhu Makubuya and former State Minister for ICT, Mr Alintuma Nsambu, punished for their role in the disputed deal.

In a report presented the House Defence Committee chairperson, Mr Simon Mulongo (Bubulo East), Mr Kivejinja, Mr Makubuya and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr Stephen Kagoda, reportedly flouted procurement laws.

The report calls for an investigation into Mr Nsambu’s trip to Germany.

Mr Kivejinja is implicated as having deliberately avoided and ignored the laid down procurement procedures under the law.

The committee also recommended that Makubuya should take full responsibility for the irregular clearance of the National Security Information Systems procurement agreement in total disregard of Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority.

“He (Kivejinja) therefore failed to provide correct political guidance to the ministry which failed to follow the established procedures for classified procurements under PPDA. Despite the technical and professional guidance provided by PPDA, the minister ignored this advice and went ahead to single source the Germany company, to which he dared to take full responsibility as warned by PPDA,” the report to be debated today, notes.

The Defence committee inquiry into the procurement of the Shs200 billion ID project set out to, among others, ascertain the mode of procurement of the equipment, examine the parties involved in the procurement process and review the contractual dimension of the procurement

The report further notes that: “There was outright breach of the procurement of the procurement laws, dishonesty on the part of some senior officials, both political and technical whose roles are highly questionable.”

It adds: “Those found responsible for occasioning loss regarding the procurement and implementation should take full responsibility and the committee prays that Parliament resolves to have clear and deserving penalties against them by the relevant authorities for mismanaging a project of a magnitude of about Shs200 billion,”.

The committee said whereas the ID project was conceived with good intentions, it had critical shortfalls in its procurement.

“Although the ministry presented letters from the President dated April, 2, 2009 and February 13, as their justification for selecting Muhlbauer as the sole company of choice without any competitive bidding, the committee did not [see] evidence of a presidential directive for single sourcing in any of the two letters specifically directing them to proceed as such.”

They insisted that the President’s role was advisory.

“In any case the guidance in the letters did not amount to restricting to single sourcing let alone circumventing the PPDA regulatory framework, which effectively provides for classified procurement but which was eluded.”

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